Eco-Center

What Eco-Center does

Eco-Center (legal name: eco center AG) is a public utility company headquartered in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy, founded on March 22, 1994. It is wholly owned by 105 public shareholders — 116 municipalities of South Tyrol, the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, and the district communities — and operates under Italian in-house providing rules that give it an exclusive, non-contested mandate to deliver environmental services across the province. Eco-Center manages 29 environmental facilities, anchored by the Termovalorizzatore Bolzano waste-to-energy plant (130,000 tonnes/year capacity serving all 116 municipalities), 22+ wastewater treatment plants including major facilities at Bolzano (450,000 PE), Merano (619,000 PE post-2025 expansion), and Bronzolo (342,000 PE), plus the Lana fermentation plant, the Vadena landfill, the 255 km supramunicipal sewage network, and an ACCREDIA-accredited environmental analysis laboratory. Technical assets include Solvay double dry flue-gas treatment, SCR deNOx reactors, MBBR biofilm reactors, CIPP trenchless pipe rehabilitation, and an anaerobic high-load reactor at Merano for industrial wastewater.

The company generates revenue through regulated cost-recovery tariffs across four streams: tipping fees at waste treatment facilities, integrated water service tariffs for ATO2, sewage network service fees, and ACCREDIA-accredited laboratory analysis services for internal and external municipal clients; it also sells recovered energy (240,000+ MWh/year, with ~214,000 MWh fed to the grid plus district heating supply to Bolzano). Because Eco-Center operates on a non-profit basis with no profit distribution, all surpluses are reinvested in facility upgrades; 2025 capex exceeded €32M, EBITDA reached €6.5M (+55% YoY), and net profit was €2.2M. Customer concentration is structurally high but contractually locked: municipalities and the Province are both shareholders and recipients, with small industrial wastewater volumes from food/beverage clients such as VOG, Forst Brewery, and Zipperle.

Distribution and GTM are entirely non-commercial — services are delivered through direct in-house provision to public shareholders, complemented by educational plant tours (~2,200 visitors in 2025 including 1,706 students), GRI sustainability reporting, and targeted academic and cross-border industry partnerships (Utilitalia, ÖWAV, VBSA, Eurac Research, Interreg projects). Strategic positioning is centered on regulatory compliance (ISO 9001/14001, AGCM Legality Rating ★★+, UNI/PdR 125:2022), continuous environmental R&D, and infrastructure scaling within South Tyrol rather than geographic expansion.

Name

Eco-Center

Legal name

eco center AG

Website

https://eco-center.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Eco-Center is a 100% publicly-owned Italian utility operating 29 environmental facilities across South Tyrol, delivering waste-to-energy, wastewater treatment, sewage network, and accredited laboratory services to 116 municipalities and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Utility Services

NAICS

Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Solid Waste Combustors and Incinerators (562213), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Universal Waste Management (Batteries, Lamps, Mercury-Containing) (BPALAHAL), Environmental Public Health (Food Safety, Water Quality, Sanitation) (BPAIAJAE), Yard Waste, Land Clearing & Green Waste Processing (Mulch/Compost Feedstock) (BPALAEAG)

Keywords

• Municipal waste treatment
• Wastewater treatment services
• Sewage network management
• Waste-to-energy operations
• Environmental utility services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bolzano

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Waste Treatment Services: Treatment of residual municipal waste through the waste-to-energy plant, including processing fees from municipalities and commercial waste producers. Revenue is generated through tipping fees for waste acceptance.
2. Integrated Water Service: Management of the integrated water service for Ambito Territoriale Ottimale 2 (ATO2), including sewage treatment and wastewater purification. Revenue is generated through wastewater tariffs charged to municipalities and end users.
3. Sewage Network Management: Operation and maintenance of the sewage network including over 250 km of pipes, pumping stations, and storage basins. Revenue derived from service fees included in the integrated water tariff.
4. Laboratory Analysis Services: Environmental analysis services for water, wastewater, emissions, and soil. Services provided to internal plants and external municipal clients.
5. Energy Recovery and Sales: Generation and sale of electricity from waste treatment and wastewater processing, plus heat energy sold to district heating networks. Over 240,000 MWh of energy produced annually, with approximately 214,000 MWh fed into the grid.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Eco-Center is a public utility company operating integrated environmental services in South Tyrol, Italy. It manages waste treatment (including a waste-to-energy plant serving 116 municipalities), organic waste fermentation, landfill operations, 22+ wastewater treatment plants, and over 255 km of sewage network infrastructure. It also provides accredited environmental laboratory analysis and conducts applied environmental research.

Product overview

Eco-Center operates as a public utilities company providing integrated environmental services across South Tyrol, Italy. The company manages a portfolio of 29 environmental facilities organized around four core service areas: waste treatment (including the Termovalorizzatore Bolzano waste-to-energy plant, Impianto Fermentazione Lana fermentation plant, and Discarica Vadena landfill), wastewater treatment (22+ Depuratori including major facilities in Bolzano, Merano, Bronzolo, and others), sewage network infrastructure (over 250 km), and environmental laboratory analysis services. The company also conducts environmental research through collaborations with universities and research institutions. All services are coordinated from the Bolzano headquarters, with facilities distributed across South Tyrol serving municipalities and the provincial government.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Waste Treatment Services (Ambiente) Management of 6 waste treatment plants in South Tyrol, including the waste-to-energy plant that serves 116 municipalities and recovers energy for district heating. Processes over 180,000 tonnes of waste annually.
• Termovalorizzatore Bolzano (Waste-to-Energy Plant) Waste-to-energy plant in Bolzano with treatment capacity of 130,000 tonnes/year, serving 116 municipalities. Produces electricity and heat supplied to the city's district heating network. Equipped with Solvay double dry treatment and SCR deNOx reactor systems.
• Impianto Fermentazione Lana (Lana Fermentation Plant) Fermentation plant in Lana processing organic waste with treatment capacity of approximately 30,000 tonnes/year. Serves 51 municipalities and generates biogas for electricity production (approximately 7,000 MWh/year).
• Discarica Vadena (Vadena Landfill) Landfill in Vadena with volume capacity of 2,120,000 m3, serving 77 municipalities for residual waste disposal.
• Integrated Water Service (Acqua) Integrated water service for Optimal Territorial Basin 2 (ATO2), the largest basin in South Tyrol, comprising 23 wastewater treatment plants that remove 90% of total pollutant load.
• Depuratori Alto Adige (Wastewater Treatment Plants) Network of 22 wastewater treatment plants across South Tyrol, including major facilities in Bolzano (450,000 PE), Merano (619,000 PE), Bronzolo (342,000 PE), Termeno (138,000 PE), Pontives (75,000 PE), Lana (26,000 PE), and Passiria (16,500 PE).
• Sewage Network Management (Rete) Management of the supramunicipal network of Optimal Territorial Basin 2, including over 255 km of sewage pipelines, pumping stations, measurement stations, and storage tanks ensuring continuous and efficient service.
• Environmental Analysis Laboratory (Analisi) Environmental analysis laboratory accredited by ACCREDIA (UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018), offering a wide range of accredited environmental analyses for water, wastewater, groundwater, gaseous emissions, waste, and soil.
• Plant Visits (Visite Impianti) Guided tours of environmental facilities including the waste-to-energy plant, wastewater treatment plants, fermentation plant, and landfill for educational and public awareness purposes. Nearly 2,200 visitors in 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% pollutant load removal from wastewater
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered moderate, core and minor.

• Kanal- und Kläranlagen-NachbarschaftenmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking group uniting representatives of wastewater treatment plant operators from South Tyrol and Austria for shared operational experiences and knowledge improvement in plant management.
• Abwasser Working GroupmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking group bringing together plant managers of major South Tyrolean wastewater treatment plants and collaborators of the Provincial Water Protection Office for operational best practices sharing.
• Betreiber der Schweizerischen Abfallverwertungsanlagen (VBSA/AESD)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of operators of Swiss waste-to-energy plants, facilitating knowledge exchange and experience sharing among waste treatment operators.
• Gestione degli Impianti di Depurazione (University of Brescia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking group sponsored by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Brescia, uniting university researchers and Italian wastewater treatment plant operators. Eco-Center participates actively with plant managers contributing to research and best practice development.
• Microplastiche Working GroupmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking group promoted by Utilitalia and ENEA focusing on microplastic pollution in wastewater and environmental waters, with eco-center participating in research projects.
• UtilitaliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational federation uniting companies operating in public services for Water, Environment, Energy, and Gas. Eco-Center is a member, benefiting from continuous updates and specific training pathways in the sector.
• Österreichischer Wasser- und Abfallwirtschaftsverband (ÖWAV)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian association for water and waste management, providing networking and professional development opportunities for South Tyrolean operators.
• UnichimminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of chemical industry companies providing technical standards and professional development for laboratory analysis activities.
• Italian Association for Trenchless Technology (IATT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation promoting and disseminating scientific and technical knowledge in trenchless (No-Dig) technologies for underground utility network installation, operation, and maintenance.
• Eco Research AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch association spun off from eco-center's laboratory activities in 2020, focusing on environmental research including microplastic pollution projects (EFRE1018-PlasticFree) and nutrient recovery from wastewater treatment.
• Eurac ResearchmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional applied research institute collaborating with eco-center on environmental research projects including microplastic detection and reduction in provincial waters.
• Autonome Provinz Bozen (Autonomous Province of Bolzano)coreOthersProvincial government entity that is both major shareholder and primary funder of environmental infrastructure. Provides approximately 7.6 million EUR average annual contributions to construction projects and owns the waste-to-energy plant facility.
• Distretto della Bicicletta della Valle dell'Adige (Bike Trail)minorOthersPartnership for shared infrastructure use, with 5.5 km wastewater pipeline from Forst company hung on MEBO viaduct alongside the bike trail route.
• HBI (Research Company)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiotechnology research company collaborating on EFRE project for nutrient recovery from HTC process in wastewater treatment sludge.
• Universität Bozen (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in EFRE research project for nutrient recovery from wastewater treatment byproducts.
• Interreg VI-A Italien-Österreich MICRO-ALPS Project PartnersmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean cross-border cooperation project (Interreg VI-A 2021-2027) focused on sensitizing local communities and companies about microplastic pollution in alpine areas.
• Interreg Europe CORE Project PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean project (CORE - Composting in Rural Environments) focusing on organic waste management best practices in rural environments.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Utilitalia: Utilitalia is the Italian federation of public-service utilities (water, environment, energy, gas), of which Eco-Center is itself a member. Relevant as the industry body that shapes regulatory and technical standards for operators like Eco-Center.

Direct peers

• Aimag S.p.A. Aimag is a multi-utility serving municipalities in Modena and Mantua provinces, operating integrated water, gas, waste collection/treatment, and district heating. Comparable as a mid-sized publicly-influenced Italian multi-utility with similar scope.
• Hera S.p.A. Hera is one of Italy's largest multi-utility companies, operating in waste management, water (integrated water service), and energy across Emilia-Romagna and surrounding regions. Directly comparable to Eco-Center in scope of waste treatment + wastewater + district energy activities and in operating under regulated cost-recovery tariffs serving municipalities.
• Acea S.p.A. Acea is a major Italian multi-utility (water, waste, energy) serving primarily Lazio and Tuscany. Operates wastewater treatment plants, integrated water service, and waste-to-energy assets under regulated public-service concessions — same business model and service mix as Eco-Center.
• Iren S.p.A. Iren is a multi-utility operating waste management (Iren Ambiente), water (Ireti), and energy networks across northern Italy. Public-shareholder governance and integrated water service plus waste-to-energy operations closely mirror Eco-Center's structure.
• A2A S.p.A. A2A operates waste management (A2A Ambiente), integrated water, district heating, and electricity generation in Lombardy. Its waste-to-energy and wastewater treatment activities with multi-municipality service mandates match Eco-Center's core operations.
• Veritas S.p.A. Veritas is a Venetian multi-utility providing integrated water service, waste collection/treatment, and environmental services to municipalities in the Veneto region. The combination of regulated water and waste activities under a public-shareholder governance model closely parallels Eco-Center.
• Contarina S.p.A. Contarina operates door-to-door waste collection and treatment for ~80 municipalities in the Treviso area (Veneto), with strong focus on recycling rates and organic-waste processing. Comparable as an Italian publicly-tied municipal waste operator with circular-economy focus.
• Asja Ambiente Italia S.p.A. Asja operates a portfolio of waste-to-energy and biogas plants in Italy, generating electricity and heat from organic and residual waste. Directly comparable in waste-to-energy technology and energy-recovery outputs to Eco-Center's Termovalorizzatore and Lana fermentation plant.

Regional players

• AMSA Milano (Gruppo A2A): AMSA is the municipal waste-management utility of Milan, providing collection, treatment, and disposal services to the metropolitan area. Comparable in waste-treatment infrastructure operations but a different geography (Lombardy vs. South Tyrol).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ecocenter-suedtirol
• Facebookfacebook.com/ecocenter.suedtirol
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eco-center
• Xx.com/ecocenterbz

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eco-Center